Break the Easter Rules Easter Dinner has rules. Thou shalt serve either ham or lamb. No other dishes may be substituted. Well, I’m not all that fond of ham (it’s ok, just not my favorite) and Julie definitely will not eat lamb. So we go rogue at Easter, join us! Celebrate Spring with Fresh Vibrant … Continue reading →

Fame? Yes! Fortune? ? Sure, it was fun to win a trip to Bordeaux with the Millesima Blog Awards. Yep, honored to be shortlisted in the Born Digital Wine Awards in 2017. I knew I had finally made it, achieved star status when I was invited to be a guest on the “We Like Drinking” … Continue reading →

There is no bad time to visit Burgundy. Even late October after harvest can be magic. The grapes have been picked, the vines are shutting down and the crowds are few. As long as you have rainwear and an adventurous attitude, you are all set. If you’re thinking about a visit to the region, I … Continue reading →

Biodynamic Bordeaux To quote Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being green”. If your vineyard is located in a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and warm, dry breezes, you have few worries. Organic viticulture is pretty easy, as you have few challenges with mildew, rot, pests, disease. If, on the other hand, your vineyard is … Continue reading →

My “Do It Yourself” Steak Tartare Disaster Julie and I both love steak tartare and order it often when we’re out at a restaurant. When we travel in France, it’s one of Julie’s lunch favorites. I’ve never tried making it at home, in part due to the nagging question about safety, given it is mainly … Continue reading →

Applegate Valley, Where? Most wine enthusiasts know Oregon is the home of the Willamette Valley. They may be familiar with Walla Walla. They may even have heard of the Rogue Valley. But Applegate? Where the heck is Applegate Valley? As you can see on the map above, the Applegate Valley is in the far southwest … Continue reading →

Not Just Pinot Noir Our friends at iOTA Cellars started out in the Eola-Amity Hills area of the Willamette Valley with Pinot Noir from their Pelos-Sandberg Vineyard. Over time, they decided to add Chardonnay vines to their estate plantings, and while they wait for their estate vines to mature enough to produce wine, they purchased … Continue reading →

The Aglianico Battle In our past Italian Food Wine & Travel (#ItalianFWT) explorations, I’ve sampled Aglianico based wines from both Basilicata and Campania, two regions in Southern Italy. I was curious to try the wines “head to head” to find similarities and differences. Could I declare a winner? Read on! Our Italian FWT group is … Continue reading →